System for managing, converting, and transmitting video content for uploading online to a digital TV services provider system

• US 7,774,819 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2007
• Issued: 08/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Broadband iTV, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Broadband iTV, Inc.
• Inventors: Perez, Milton Diaz
• Primary Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P
• Assistant Examiner(s): ALAM, MUSHFIKH I
• Application Number:
  US11/952,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20080086752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 977 Days
• Field of Search: 725 74-104
• US Class Current: 725/109
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2221 being a cable television head-end CATV in broadcast systems H04H20/78
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234309 by transcoding between formats or standards, e.g. from MPEG-2 to MPEG-4 or from Quicktime to Realvideo conversion of standards in analog television systems H04N7/01
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2353 specifically adapted to content descriptors, e.g. coding, compressing or processing of metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2393 involving handling client requests scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2541 Rights Management protecting software against unauthorised usage in a vending or licensing environment G06F21/10; security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2547 Third Party Billing, e.g. billing of advertiser
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25858 involving client software characteristics, e.g. OS identifier
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/26225 involving billing parameters, e.g. priority for subscribers of premium services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2743 Video hosting of uploaded data from client
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42204 User interfaces specially adapted for controlling a client device through a remote control device; Remote control devices therefor constructive details of casings for the remote control device H01H9/0235; user interfaces for controlling a tuning device of a television receiver through a remote control H03J9/00; remote control of peripheral devices connected to a television receiver through the remote control device of the television receiver H04B1/205
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4312 involving specific graphical features, e.g. screen layout, special fonts or colors, blinking icons, highlights or animations
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4314 for fitting data in a restricted space on the screen, e.g. EPG data in a rectangular grid
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4383 Accessing a communication channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47202 for requesting content on demand, e.g. video on demand
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 : for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/482 : End-user interface for program selection broadcast systems using EPGs H04H60/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4821 : using a grid, e.g. sorted out by channel and broadcast time
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6118 : involving cable transmission, e.g. using a cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 : involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/64322 : IP
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/812 : involving advertisement data advertising per se G06Q30/02
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/858 : Linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object, by creating a hotspot
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 999/99 : dummy group

Abstract

A video-on-demand (VOD) content delivery system has a VOD Application Server which manages a database of templates ordered in a hierarchy for presentation of video content elements of different selected types categorized in hierarchical order. The templates include those for higher-order displays which have one or more links to lower-order displays of specific content. The VOD Application Server, in response to viewer request, displays a high-order templatized display, and in response to viewer selection of a link, displays the lower-order display of specific content. The hierarchical templatized displays enable viewers to navigate to an end subject of interest while having a unique visual experience of moving through a series of displays to the end subject of interest. For example, the higher-order display may be a product ad and the lower-order display may be an ad for a local retailer of the product. Similarly, a viewer can navigate from national product to local product ad, or classified ad category to specific classified ad, or bulletin board topic category to specific posting. In another embodiment, the VOD content delivery system is used to deliver consumer-generated classified ads on TV. A web-based Content Management System receives consumer-generated content uploaded online in industry-standard file formats with metadata for title and topical area, and automatically converts it into video data format compatible with the VOD content delivery system indexed by title and topical area. A User Interface for the system delivers listings data to the viewer'"'"'s TV indexed by title and topical area, and displays a requested classified ad in response to viewer selection.

Claims

1. A system for managing, converting and transmitting externally generated video content on an open online network to a digital television (TV) services provider system which is of the type employing a closed system of pre-screened video content selectable by TV service subscribers inputting keypresses on TV remote control units for their TV equipment in order to select video content by title from a menu display of a video-on-demand (VOD) platform of a digital TV services provider system for viewing TV programs on their TV equipment comprising:

(a) a Content Management Website for enabling uploading of externally generated video content on an online network connection from remote computers, said uploaded externally generated video content being associated with meta data for identifying the externally generated video content by title and positioning of the title by category and subcategory of a predetermined hierarchical ordering of TV program titles;

(b) a Content Screening Component for receiving the externally generated video content uploaded to the Content Management Website and screening the video content to ensure the absence of objectionable content, and for rejecting said video content if it may contains objectionable content;

(c) a Content Feed Component for automatically transferring the externally generated video content screened by the Content Screening Component to a Content Conversion Component;

(d) a Content Conversion Component for automatically converting the transferred externally generated video content supplied from the Content Feed Component into a video data format compatible with a VOD content delivery system of a target digital TV services provider system, and for enabling association of said video content with meta data representing a title for said video content and positioning of said title by category and subcategory in a predetermined hierarchical ordering of TV program titles in order for said title to be automatically positioned in a menu display of titles of a VOD content delivery system used by a target digital TV services provider system; and

(e) enabling the transmission of said video content converted to video data format and associated meta data from said Content Management Website to the VOD content delivery system used by the target digital TV services provider system so that the converted video data for said video content can be stored in the VOD content delivery system and the title of said video content can be automatically positioned on the menu display of titles by category and subcategory in the predetermined hierarchical ordering of TV program titles in accordance with the associated meta data for the video content to be selected by title from the menu display and displayed on the TV equipment of viewers;

(f) wherein the VOD Application Server of the target digital TV services provider system manages a Database of templates ordered in a hierarchy for presentation of classified video content of different selected types categorized in hierarchical order, wherein a template for display of a classified video content category on a higher level of the hierarchy includes a link to one or more video content on a lower level of the hierarchy, and wherein said VOD Application Server, in response to viewer request for a selected classified video content category on a higher order in the hierarchy, retrieves the corresponding template to provide a templated VOD content display on the viewer'"'"'s TV equipment which includes one or more links to ads templates for video content on a lower order of hierarchy, and upon viewer request selecting a link displayed in the templated VOD content to video content in the lower order of hierarchy, retrieves the corresponding classified video content for display on the viewer'"'"'s TV equipment, thereby enabling the viewer to use drill-down navigation through the video content displays on TV.

2. A system for managing, converting and transmitting externally generated video content on TV according to claim 1, wherein the Content Screening Component is configured to detect objectionable text words in text files, detect objectionable audio words in audio files, and optically recognize objectionable images in graphics or video files of said video content.

3. A system for managing, converting and transmitting externally generated video content on TV according to claim 1, wherein the Content Feed Component automatically transmits video content within an active display period contracted by a user to the Content Conversion Component.

4. A system for managing, converting and transmitting externally generated video content on TV according to claim 1, wherein the Content Conversion Component converts video content uploaded by individual users into a video content format compatible with the VOD content delivery system of the target digital TV services provider system.

5. A system for managing, converting and transmitting externally generated video content on TV according to claim 1, wherein the Content Management Website includes one or more of the following group of components:

(a) Account Management for the management of user accounts on the web-based content management system;

(b) Consumer-Generated Content Management for organizing consumer-generated content as individual list items within topical categories;

(c) Bulletin Board Content Management for the creation and management of consumer-generated content related to announcements and other items of general interest and organized by groups, organizations or topics; and

(d) Transaction Processing for the processing of fees for use of the system.

6. A method for managing, converting and transmitting externally generated video content of delivering uploaded on an online network into a digital television (TV) services provider system which is of the type employing a closed system of pre-screened video content selectable by TV service subscribers inputting keypresses on TV remote control units for their TV equipment in order to select video content by title from a menu display of a video-on-demand (VOD) platform of a digital TV services provider system providing digital TV programs to TV equipment of viewers for display on TV comprising:

(a) enabling uploading of video content in an industry-standard file format on an online network connection from remote computers to a Content Management Website connected on said online network, said uploaded video content being associated with meta data for identifying the video content by title and positioning of the title by category and subcategory of a predetermined hierarchical ordering of TV program titles;

(b) screening the video content automatically to ensure the absence of objectionable content;

(c) transferring the screened video content automatically to a database for conversion to video data format;

(d) converting the transferred externally-generated video content automatically from the file format of the input to a video data format compatible with a VOD content delivery system of a target digital TV services provider system, and for enabling association of said video content automatically with meta data representing a title for said video content and positioning of said title by category and subcategory in a predetermined hierarchical ordering of TV program titles in order for said title to be automatically positioned in a menu display of titles of a VOD content delivery system used by a target digital TV services provider system; and

(e) enabling the transmission of said video content converted to video data format and associated meta data from said Content Management Website to the VOD content delivery system of the target digital TV services provider system, so that the converted video data for said video content can be stored in the VOD content delivery system and the title of said video content can be automatically positioned on the menu display of titles by category and subcategory in the predetermined hierarchical ordering of TV program titles in accordance with the associated meta data for the video content to be selected by title from the menu display and displayed on the viewer'"'"'s TV equipment;

(f) enabling users on remote computers connected to the online network to upload video content to the Video Content Management Website, and to specify associated meta data for each respective title for identifying a navigation path from category to subcategory to the title of the video content in accordance with a predetermined hierarchical ordering of categories and subcategories for indexing of titles of uploaded video content in the predetermined hierarchical ordering of TV program titles used by the target digital TV services provider system;

(g) transferring the video content and associated meta data from the Video Content Management Website to said VOD Content Delivery System so that it uses the metadata for each title of uploaded video content to automatically index each said title within the predetermined hierarchical ordering used by the digital TV services provider system;

(h) providing enabling a navigation function for the VOD Content Delivery System to display on the viewer'"'"'s TV equipment navigation menu displays of categories and subcategories and indexed titles in order to enable a viewer to navigate to and select a desired title of uploaded video content for delivery by the VOD Content Delivery System and viewing on the viewer'"'"'s TV equipment;

(i) maintaining with said VOD Content Delivery System a database of templates for navigation menu displays ordered according to the predetermined hierarchy of categories and subcategories, wherein a template for navigation menu display on a higher level of the hierarchy includes a link to one or more other templates for navigation menu display on a lower level of the hierarchy, and

(j) said VOD Content Delivery System delivering a series of navigation menu displays from higher to lower levels of hierarchy in response to viewer selection in order to enable the viewer to navigate to and select a desired title of uploaded video content for delivery by the VOD Content Delivery System and viewing on the viewer'"'"'s TV equipment.

7. A method for managing, converting and transmitting externally generated video content on TV according to claim 6 further comprising:

(a) maintaining a database of templates and video content for generating templated VOD content in response to a request by the viewer, wherein said templates are ordered in a hierarchy for presentation of video content displays of different selected types categorized in hierarchical order, wherein a template for video content display on a higher level of the hierarchy includes a link to one or more templates for video content displays on a lower level of the hierarchy,

(b) delivering, in response to viewer request for a selected video content on a higher order in the hierarchy, the corresponding template to provide a templated VOD content display on the viewer'"'"'s TV equipment which includes one or more links to video content on a lower order of hierarchy, and upon viewer request selecting a link displayed in the templated VOD content to a video content on the lower order of hierarchy, delivering the corresponding video content for display on the viewer'"'"'s TV equipment, thereby enabling the viewer to use drill-down navigation through the video content displays on TV.